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I want you to turn with me in
your Bibles this evening to the Acts of the Apostles, chapter
4. And we're reading at verse 31, reading right down to the
end of the chapter at verse 37. And we have come to our tenth
study tonight. We're looking at Barnabas, the
ministry of encouragement. And I want to give you five characterizations
of Barnabas this evening that are there on the outline for
you And we have to look at different parts of the Acts of the Apostles
because Barnabas pops out here and there in the book of Acts. And so we've got to weave our
way through the book of Acts tonight that we might get a full
portrait, a full picture, a complete photograph of this man of God
who engaged in the ministry of encouragement. We're going to
see him, first of all, as a sincere man in Acts chapter 4. And then
we're going to see him in Acts chapter 9 as a sympathetic man. And then in Acts chapter 11,
we're going to see him as a spiritual man. And then again in Acts chapter
11, we're going to see him as a sensible man. And then finally,
as the curtain falls on Barnabas' life in Acts chapter 15, as he
and Paul are about to commence their second missionary journey,
we're going to see Barnabas as a steadfast man. And we're reading
tonight in Acts chapter 4, and we're reading at verse 31, please.
And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were
assembled together, and they were all filled with the Holy
Ghost, and they spake the Word of God with boldness. And the
multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one
soul. Neither said any of them that
ought of the things which he possessed was his own, but they
had all things common. And with great power gave the
apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great
grace was upon them all. Neither was there any among them
that lacked, for as many as were possessors of lands or houses
sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,
and laid them down at the apostles' feet. And distribution was made
unto every man according as he had need. And Joses, who by the
apostles was surnamed Barnabas, which is being interpreted the
son of Consolation a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus
having land sold it, and brought the money and led it at the apostles'
feet. The renowned Prime Minister William
Gladstone once said that one example is worth a thousand arguments. As we turn again to the book
of Acts tonight, I trust that you have begun to realize how
kind God is to us in His Word. He has different ways of getting
His truth across to us. For example, in the New Testament
we have history to inform us, we have doctrine to inspire us,
and we have examples to instruct us. The Lord seems to say to
us, through my inspired servants, I give you in the Gospels a bit
of my biography. In the Epistles, I am taking
you into the classroom that you might learn solid truth. But
here in the Acts, I want you to walk with me through my picture
gallery. I want to show you how it all
works out. I want to show you that this
Christian life can be lived, this great teaching of Christlikeness
and adequacy and usefulness and fullness. And so tonight, to
the portrait of Barnabas, we turn. As I've said, Barnabas
pops in and out of the book of Acts, and we have to get around
a bit in order to get a complete picture. Barnabas seems to be
a big man. He seems to have been a big man
physically. He seems to have been a big man
in every sense of the word in the city of Lystra. When the
apostle Paul healed a crippled man, we read, and when the people
saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying
in the speech of Lyconia, the gods are come down to us in the
likeness of men, and they call Barnabas Jupiter. Now, Jupiter
in Roman mythology is Zeus in the mythology of the Greeks.
He is the God that is known as the Emperor of the Gods. Barnabas
was evidently a big man. He was tall. He was manly. He was commanding. He was noble
in appearance. And it was this big man with
a big heart who played a vital role in the life of the early
church. Now, in seeking to piece together
all that we know about this big man, I want to draw your attention
very simply tonight to these five characteristics. Let's begin
in Acts 4. Barnabas was a sincere man. First of all, we meet with Barnabas
in the early days of the church when it was in the full fire
and fervor of its first love for Christ. And this man's sincerity
is seen in two very simple ways. First of all, it's seen in a
nature that was sacrificial. Look at what it says in verse
36 again. And Joses, or Joseph, who by
the apostles was surname Barnabas, which is being interpreted the
son of consolation, a Levite. Now let's pause there. Barnabas,
a Levite, had estates. He had property, or as the Americans
would say, he had real estate on the island of Cyprus. That
in itself is of tremendous interest because the Levites in God's
Old Testament economy were not supposed to own land. Keep your
finger in Acts 4, and let's come back to Numbers 18 for a moment. The Levites were not supposed
to own land. Look at Numbers 18. God's speaking
here to Aaron. And He says, Numbers 18, Verse number 1. Numbers chapter
18 and verse number 1. And the Lord said unto Aaron,
Thou and thy sons and thy father's house with thee shalt bear the
iniquity of the sanctuary. And thou and thy sons with thee
shalt bear the iniquity of your priesthood. And thy brethren
also of the tribe of Levi, the tribe of thy father, bring thou
with thee, that they may be joined unto thee and minister unto thee.
But thou and thy sons with thee shalt minister before the tabernacle
of witness. And they shall keep thy charge,
and the charge of all the tabernacle, only they shall not come nigh
the vessels of the sanctuary and the altar, that neither they
nor ye also die." Verse 6, "'And I behold, I have taken your brethren,
the Levites from among the children of Israel, to you they are given
as a gift for the Lord to do the service of the tabernacle
of the congregation.'" Come down to verse 20, The Lord is still
speaking unto Aaron. And the Lord speak unto Aaron,
Thou shalt have no inheritance in the land, neither shalt thou
have any part among them. I am thy part and thine inheritance
among the children of Israel. And behold, I have given the
children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance.
for their service which they shall serve, even the service
of the tabernacle of the congregation, neither must the children of
Israel henceforth deny the tabernacle of the congregation, lest they
burst in and die. The Levites shall do the service
of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they shall bear their iniquity.
It shall be a statute forever throughout their generations
that among the children of Israel they have no inheritance. But
the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer as a
heave offering unto the Lord, I have given to the Levites to
inherit. Therefore I have said unto them,
among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance. In the Old Testament economy,
the Levites were not supposed to own land. Why? Because they
were the priestly tribe and they were to live on the tithes. that
the people of Israel gave them. How then, when we come to Acts
chapter 4, how was it possible that Barnabas had land on the
island of Cyprus? Was it that with the passing
of the years that this prohibition was no longer in force in New
Testament times? Or was it that this law applied
only in Palestine and Barnabas' land was in Cyprus? In ancient
times, Cyprus was famous for its vineyards. It was famous
for its wheat fields. It was famous for its oil. It
was famous for its figs. It was a secular Canaan. It was
a land flowing with milk and honey. And anyone who possessed
land in Cyprus was rich and influential. Wherever Barnabas had this land,
on the island of Cyprus, he said this, I know what I'm going to
do. I've got a piece of land. It's a valuable piece of land.
I can sell it easily. And it will help the church in
Jerusalem who are financially pressed, who are financially
stripped. So Barney sold the land. And
he took the money and he laid it at the apostles' feet. Such
was his lavish generosity towards Christ and His church. Now, there's
a principle here that you and I need to grasp tonight. And
it's this. that Barnabas had a stewardship
rather than an ownership view of property. My dear friend,
tonight the amount of money you have, the amount of property
that you possess, the amount of land that you own, the amount
of acres that you have tonight, is not the determining thing
in Christian stewardship. It's your attitude towards it. Do you really believe tonight
that it's yours? Or do you really believe tonight
that it's God's? And that you are only a trustee? Like Barnabas, are we generous
toward the Lord and generous towards His church? His sincerity
is seen in that he had a nature that was sacrificial. But come
again to Acts 4. Look at verse 36. He had a name
that was significant. His parents called him Joses
or Joseph. But those who got to know him
well in Christian circles, they said, we must give this man another
name. And so they nicknamed him Barnabas. Now, different translators put
this differently. Some put it Barnabas, the son
of consolation. Some put it Barnabas, the son
of encouragement. Some put it Barnabas, the son
of refreshment. Barnabas, no matter what way
you look at him, he was a refreshing Christian. Others looked at Barnabas
and they said, he's a refreshing believer, and so the apostles
nicknamed him Barnabas the Son of Encouragement. I wonder what
your name is around the church. I wonder what your name is around
your church. There are all kinds of nicknames
for folk around the church. There's Herman the hypocrite.
He comes to church, he sings the loudest, he prays the longest,
and he makes sure everyone sees him, but he curses terribly at
work. He's a mockery of the name of
the Lord Jesus. And then there's moaning Mervyn.
It doesn't matter what the choir sings, he's always moaning. If
the choir sings a slow song, he says, I wish they would sing
a fast song. If the choir sings a fast song,
he says to himself, that's too fast. I wish they would sing
a slow song. If the preacher gets up and preaches
too loud, he's moaning. If the building's too warm, he's
moaning. If the building's too cold, he's moaning. Sure, our
Baptist churches are filled with them moaning mervins. And then
there's prideful Patricia. She's Miss Big Shot around the
church. Look at me. My husband's important to this
church. I'm prideful Patricia. What's your church nickname? Do you not long to be known as
an encourager? Do you not long to be known as
a refresher? You see, the interesting thing
about this word, consolation, in verse 36, it's this. It's
the word paracletus. It's the word that the Lord Jesus
used when He was describing the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
He talked about the Comforter who would come, the Spirit of
God, the One whose call comes alongside to help. Barnabas was
the encourager. He was the refresher. He was
the One who was coming alongside to minister. Now we're getting
to the bottom line about Barnabas. What was so great about him?
He was the encourager. My dear friends, everywhere Barnabas
went, he had just this genius for lifting the spirit and the
mood of the people. Here in Acts chapter 4, Barnabas
saw a need, and he rose to meet that need. Barnabas, he saw a
burden, and he decided to lift that burden. The apostle Paul
later wrote to the Galatians, he says, bear ye one another's
burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. That's what an encourager
does. He lifts burdens for people.
Maybe you're saying tonight, well, I don't have any land to
sell. I don't have any property to part with. My dear friend,
you don't need land to lift a burden. You don't need money to lift
a burden. You're here tonight and you've got love, you've got
time, you've got counsel, you've got wisdom that you can give.
There's an elderly neighbor that you can help. There's someone
within your assembly to whom you can say, Look, you've got
a need. I believe I can help you. I believe
I can lift that burden. That's what Barnabas did. He
was the son of consolation. Let's look at the second time
Barnabas is mentioned. Let's look over to Acts chapter
9. Not only was he a sincere man, he was a sympathetic man,
for it was Barnabas who introduced Saul of Tarsus to the apostles. Look at Acts 9, just for a moment,
and verse 23. And after many days were fulfilled,
the Jews took counsel to kill Paul, or Saul. But their lying
await was known of Saul, and they watched the gates day and
night to kill him. Then the disciples took him by
night and let him down by the wall in a basket." There's a
wee truth there for us, you know. They didn't have to pray about
it. They just used their common sense. Paul's life was in danger.
And so they let him over the wall in a basket, and they ran
as fast as his legs could carry him. And in verse 26 it says,
And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he has said to join himself to
the disciples, but they were all afraid of him. And believe
not that he was a disciple, but Barnabas took him. and brought
him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the
Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he
had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus, and he
was with them coming in and going out of Jerusalem." Now, let's
set this in its context. Three years had passed since
Saul's conversion. Nobody had heard where he had
gone. The church had heard rumors that he was saved, but he had
vanished. God's people had enjoyed blessed rest from persecution,
but now Saul was back. Worse still, he was back in the
city of Jerusalem. Worse still, he was seeking to
join the fellowship of God's people. You'll notice that Saul
was rejected. Look at verse 26. And when Saul
was come to Jerusalem, he assaid to join himself to the disciples.
The Greek conveys the idea that Saul kept trying to get into
their fellowship. He kept trying to get into their
assembly. He kept trying to get into the
church, but they wouldn't accept him. Join the church indeed. Worm out its secrets. Compile
lists of its members. Saul of Tarsus was the most dangerous
man of the age in Jerusalem, in the city of Jerusalem. He
was the most feared. He was the most hated. He was
the most friendless man of all. With the blood of so many Christians
still red on his hands, it's no wonder that every door in
the city of Jerusalem was bolted against Saul of Tarsus. These
Christians considered him to be a sinister Sanhedrin spy. Ah, but look at what it says
in verse 27, The Greek implies that Barnabas took Saul by the
hand and led him among the apostles. James, the chief elder in the
church at Jerusalem, wanted nothing to do with Saul.
Simon, with the keys of the kingdom in his hands, wanted nothing
to do with Saul. John, the beloved disciple, the
apostle of love, wanted nothing to do with Saul. Andrew, who
was always introducing people to Jesus Christ and had a rare
gift for seeking those who needed to know the Savior, wanted nothing
to do with Saul. Thomas, unless he could have
tangible proofs of Saul's conversion, wanted nothing to do with Saul.
But big-hearted Barnabas took him and brought him unto the
apostles and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the
way. He opened his door to Saul. He took him in. He sat him down.
He sat him down at his table. He listened to his story and
he believed Saul. My friends, we can picture Barnabas
taking him round to Peter's place, Galatians 2, and saying, Peter,
Peter, I want you to meet brother Saul. And Peter became so convinced
of Paul's conversion, he realized that it was authentic, that it
was genuine, that he entertained Saul in his home for two whole
weeks. Peter says, Amen, he's alright.
You can come out from hiding. He's the real thing. You see,
Barnabas realized that here was a man who needed a friend. And Barnabas went out and became
a friend to a very lonely disciple. There are lots of new Christians
in Ulster tonight. Some of them in Lurgan. Some
of them in your locality. And they need someone to befriend
them. Do you know what the new convert
needs? Do you know what the new Christian needs? If anyone needs
encouragement, it's a brand new believer. So often they find
it difficult to break into our churches, especially if they
come from a different background, if they have a different culture,
if they don't have the same background. And some of them are saying,
oh, I would love to be part of that church. I would love to
go up with them to the Bible class. I would love to go with
them to the place of prayer. But how can I break in? Oh, that
God would give us some Barnabases in this church who will reach
out and bring them in. What a terrible indictment it
is to any local assembly if genuine people have left us because they
could not fit in. John Stossel on ABC American
Television did a program. And in that program he talked
about little babies who needed psychoanalysis therapy. Little
babies who weren't twelve months of age, whose minds had been
warped. These little ones were psychologically
harmed. They were living in homes where
there was no eye contact, there was no laughter, there was no
physical contact, there was no cuddling, there was no kissing.
And these little babies who had been derived of all these natural
things were warped. And then this is what the program
went on to say. It is impossible to spoil a baby
the first year of his life. It is impossible to spoil a baby
the first year of his life. And those babies who receive
that cuddling, that kissing, that loving the first year of
their life, grow up to be well-adjusted, balanced individuals who have
love to give and demand less than other babies who didn't
receive it. You know, my friends, tonight
that's not only true in the physical realm. I want to tell you that's
true in the spiritual realm. The most important year of a
Christian is that first year when they come to know the Savior,
when they are babes in Christ. when they're just seeking to
feed on the milk of the Word of God, when they are babes in
Christ, when they are seeking to become more mature, when they're
seeking to develop, when they're seeking to progress. And this
church and your church needs Barnabases who find a friend
and befriend them and bring them into the fellowship. Barnabas
was a sympathetic man. Acts 4, Acts 9. Let's overlook
Acts chapter 11. The Acts of the Apostles chapter
11. The Acts of the Apostles chapter
11. And look at verse 19. Now they which were scattered
abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen traveled
as far as Phinehas in Cyprus, and Antioch preaching the word
to none but unto the Jews only. And some of them were men of
Cyprus and Cyrene, which, when they were come to Antioch, speak
unto the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand
of the Lord was with them. The great number believed and
turned unto the Lord. Then tidings of these things
came unto the ears of the church, which was in Jerusalem. And they
sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch,
who, when he came, it seemed, the grace of God was glad. and
exhorted them all that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto
the Lord, for He was a good man and full of the Holy Ghost and
of faith. And much people were added to the Lord." Now, I want
you to see that the scene is shifting. It's shifting geographically
from the city of Jerusalem to the city of Antioch. Now, Antioch
was wealthy. It was a very wealthy city. It
was a very magnificent city. It was the third greatest city
of the world of that day after Rome and Alexandria. It was the
home of a Roman prefect and his court. It was a thoroughly Greek
colony. It was a thoroughly Greek city,
but it also got a Jewish colony. There were Jews in the city of
Antioch. It was a center of idolatry.
Here in the world famous grove of Daphne, heathenism flaunted
itself in its most alluring and filthy forms. And here at Antioch,
quite apart from the official dome of Jerusalem, the Holy Spirit
began a new work. Here in sinful, sensual, sumptuous
Antioch, there was a work of evangelism that was begun by
the Spirit of God among the Gentiles. Now, I want you to see this work.
This work had no apostolic authority. This work had no apostolic initiative. But the preaching of the gospel
was an instant success and large numbers of Greeks were saved.
Look at what it says, verse 21, "...and the hand of the Lord
was with them, and a great number believed and turned unto the
Lord." A reproach of what was happening up in Antioch filtered
down to Jerusalem. The apostles said, look, a lot
of Greeks are getting saved up there in Antioch. We don't know
whether this is true fire or wildfire. We don't know whether
this is false or true. We don't know whether this is
of God or of Satan. We don't know whether this is
of man or of the Holy Spirit. The apostles hadn't initiated
it. They hadn't started it. They hadn't approved it. They
were wondering, should we approve it? Should we put the stamp of
authenticity upon it? We'd better send someone up to
Antioch to investigate and to find out exactly what is happening
in this new and startling development. And my dear friends, guess who
they send? Barnabas. You see, it was a wise choice.
Because Cypriots and Cyrenians were spearheading the work in
Antioch, and Barnabas was a Cypriot Jew. He was a spiritual man. You say, why? Well, he recognizes
the grace of God. Look at verse 23, "...who when
he came and had seen the grace of God and was glad." I want
to tell you, he could have seen the situation in a different
light. You see, these people up in Antioch, they were new.
They hadn't come from the background of Judaism. They were untaught. They were untaught Christians.
And they were still carrying the mire of Antioch with them. Some of them had a long way to
go. Some of them had miles to go in their language, in their
relationships, in their ethics. But Barnabas looked on and he
saw the grace of God. Alexander McLaren says this,
it was a triumph of Christian principle to recognize the grace
of God in new forms in such a strange place. It was a greater triumph
to heal it with rejoicing. Barnabas didn't say, well, we
need a manual of theology at this time so that these believers
can be systematically trained in sound doctrine. Barnabas didn't
say, well, there's too much emotionalism in this work. This work needs
a stronger emphasis on the moral side of the Christian faith,
especially in such a vile place as Antioch. No, he just looks
on and, my dear friends, he recognizes the grace of God. That's something
that I need to do. That's something, my dear friend,
that you need to do. Especially in places where they
don't do everything like the way we do it. Especially in places
where they don't dot our I's and cross our T's. I think sometimes
we're so parochial in our outlook and we think that God's blessing
and God's favor and God's grace is tied to the Baptist. Or to
the brethren? Or to the free Presbyterians?
Do you know something, my dear friends? God blesses people whom
you disagree with. Barnabas comes up to Antioch
and he recognizes the grace of God. Ah, but he does something
else. He not only recognizes the grace
of God, look at verse 23, He refreshes the people of God.
Of course He is the refresher, isn't He? He's the encourager. Look at verse 23, "...who, when
they had come, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted
them all that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto
the Lord. That is, He encouraged them all
to cleave to the Lord, to remain true to God with all of their
heart. If you turn over to chapter 13,
Paul and Barnabas did something like this again. Look at chapter
13 for a moment. It says this, chapter 13, and
we're reading in verse 43, Here's what Paul and Barnabas did again.
Now, when the congregation was broken up, they're still on their
missionary travels. Many of the Jews and religious
proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them,
persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. Come over to
chapter 14. Look at verse 22 for a moment.
Verse 21 or verse Verse 19, rather, just to get
the connection. And there came hither certain
Jews from Antioch and Iconium who persuaded the people, and
having stolen Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he
had been dead. Some scholars believe that this
is where Paul was taken up to the third heaven. Albeit, as
the disciples stood round about him, he rose up and came into
the city, and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe.
And when they had preached the gospel to that city and had taught
many, they returned again to Lystra and to Iconium and to
Antioch. They believed in follow-up, confirming
the souls of the disciples and exhorting them to continue in
the faith. and that we must through much
tribulation enter into the kingdom of God, continuing in the grace
of God, continuing in the faith. You see, the only way to remain
true to the Lord is to remain true, is to continue in His Word
where He reveals Himself to His people. You see what Barnabas
did? He saw God's grace. He rejoined. And then he tenderly encouraged
the people of God. Now you say, how was he able
to do this? Well, if you come back to Acts
11, Luke says this. Verse 24, he gives us a description
of this man of God. He says he was a good man and
full of the Holy Ghost and of faith. He was a good man and
full of the Holy Ghost and of faith. You see the refreshing
water of the Spirit of God flowed from Barnabas' inner being. Can you think of anyone like
that tonight? Are you like that? Have you discovered that some
Christians, when they come around you, talk with you, they depress
you? And when they're gone, you say
to yourself, well, thank goodness for that. They're always fault-finding. They're always critical. They're
always hard. They're always gloomy. And then
there are others. And you're not in their company
five minutes till a shot of sunshine has permeated your whole being.
Your hopes have been down and they've lifted you up. Your courage
is gone and they've put fresh impetus and fresh heart into
you. This was Barnabas. Forever the one to encourage.
Forever the one to refresh. Forever the one to fortify. Forever
the one to strengthen. Is that you tonight? Do you know what it is to recognize
the grace of God? Do you know what it is to encourage
those who are young in the faith? Do you know what it is to possess
the gifts of helps and utilize it? What a man Barnabas was! He was a sincere man. He was
a sympathetic man. He was a spiritual man. Ah, but
look at Acts chapter 11 again. He was a sensible man. Look at
verse 25. Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus
for the six all. And when he had found them, he
brought them unto Antioch. that came to pass that a whole
year they assembled themselves with the church and taught much
people, and the disciples were called Christians first. In Antioch,
do you see what he does? He recognizes his limitations. You know, Barnabas has got a
situation on his hand, and on the one hand, it awes him, and
on the other hand, it thrills him. And so he says to himself,
you know, this job is too big for me. I'm willing to put in
my oar and do what I can, but I need help. And I know a man
who has got what it takes for this situation in Antioch. I'm
going to Tarsus to get Paul." Perhaps Barnabas was awake one
night, burdened, tired, exploring his options. In the last three
days, he had led ten Bible studies. He had conducted five baptisms.
He had preached the gospel countless times. And he said to himself,
I need help. I can't keep this up. Verse 25,
Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus for to seek Saul. Now listen
to me tonight. A smaller man wouldn't have done
that. A meaner man wouldn't have done
that. Have you ever met preachers who
have said to themselves, well, I'm going to be the big duck
in the puddle and I'm going to have this all to myself? Have
you ever met pastors who have said that? Because some of them
do. I'm going to be the big duck in the puddle and I'm going to
have all this to myself. And they rarely share the pulpit
with anyone else but not Barnabas. Here was a man who was willing
to take Saul of Tarsus He wanted to take a man who was a first-class
scholar, who was steeped in the Old Testament Scriptures, who
was well-read in philosophy, and above all, was a devoted
disciple of the Lord Jesus. And my dear friends, Barnabas
knew that by bringing in Saul of Tarsus to Antioch, he was
bringing in a bigger man than he was. Bigger in talent and
genius. Bigger in his grasp of the truth.
Bigger in vision and boldness of action. But as Alexander White
said, to have the heart to discover a more talented man than yourself
and to have the heart to go to Tarsus for him and to make way
for him in Antioch is far better than to have all Saul's talents
to yourself. Speaking for myself, said the
Scottish fiery preacher, I would rather have a little of Barnabas's
grease than all of Saul's genius. Or, to quote Spurgeon's unforgettable
verse, It takes more grace than I can tell to play the second
fiddle well. See, some fellows don't want
to play the second fiddle. They want to be the big man in
the puppet. I was telling the Muppin Cook
last night when Spurgeon came to London, the crowds immediately
began to flock to hear him. They couldn't get a building
in London that was big enough to contain the crowds that wanted
to hear Charles Haddon Spurgeon. And there was an older man in
the city who was a famous preacher also. And you know, when Spurgeon
arrived on the scene and the crowds began to flock to hear
Spurgeon, jealousy began to enter into his heart. And that jealousy
began to eat him up. It was like a cancer in his soul
as the crowds went to hear the young preacher, until one day
he got down upon his knees and he confessed his jealousy before
the Lord. And from that moment onward,
he looked upon every victory that Spurgeon achieved as his
own victory. He said, My heart was filled
with praise and with worship at what God was doing through
St. Spurgeon. There is such a thing, you know,
as ministerial jealousy. I want to tell you tonight that
any brother who is faithful to the Book of Blood and the Blessed
Hope is welcome in this pulpit. They can have it any time. But some fellows are not willing
to play the second fiddle. My dear friends, Is it not rare
to find an older man held high in the opinions of his brethren
who will allow himself to be eclipsed by a younger man? But that was Barnabas. sensible
enough to recognize his limitations. Ah, but look at it again. Verse
25, sensible enough to utilize his resources. The word seek
in verse 25, Bible scholars tell me, suggests a laborious search
on Barnabas' part. He came to the city of Tarsus
and he really didn't know where to find Saul. He went to hunt
him up. Keep in mind that Saul has been
converted about ten years now. Barnabas wants to bring them
back to Antioch. And for a year they worked together
to enlarge the church, to encourage the disciples to evangelize the
city. You see, what did Barnabas do?
He enlisted and encouraged others in the service of the Lord. You
know, in every church, my dear friends, there are folk like
Saul of Tarsus. There are. People who need to
be found, people who need to be encouraged, people who need
to be fostered, people who need to be developed, sure they've
got ability, sure they've got talent, sure they've got gift,
but it takes a Barnabas to find them and to foster them. I thank
God for those who encouraged me when I started out to preach
the Gospel first, and some of them are in this very Bible class
this evening. But I wonder, do you know someone
who could and should be promoted to a place of greater usefulness,
but right tonight they stand in need of your friendship? How
about someone who is better qualified than you are? Are you ready to stand to the
side and play the second fiddle? I heard about a 16-year-old boy
who dropped out of school because his teacher told him that he
was mentally deficient. He couldn't learn anymore. They
told him that the best thing that he could do was to get manual
labor. And so, from the age of 16 until the age of 32, he had
67 jobs. And 67 times he failed. And they said, he's just too
dumb. And then someone looked at him one day and said, that
boy's different. He's got talent. He's got latent ability. I believe
we ought to give him a test. I believe we ought to give him
an IQ test. You know what his IQ was? 161. He was a genius.
And they said, son, you're brilliant. He began to study. At 32 years
of age, he's a dunce. At 33 years of age, he's a genius. Do you know what he's doing now?
He's a scientist working with laser technology with a respected
position and a tremendous salary. All because someone looked at
him one day and said, there's something in that boy. Let's
get it out of that boy! My dear friends, it's just the
same in the spiritual realm. Are there not those who could
teach? and preach and sing and do all kinds of things. You see,
the encourager is not necessarily the man who does it all himself. But God give us some Barnabas
as someone who will say, there's a felony in Saul down there,
Saul. Here's a job that you can do. I can see it in you. Are you beginning to see why
they called him The Son of Consolation. Barnabas. In chapter 15, the
curtain comes down on Barnabas' life. Have a look at it. It's
an interesting chapter. It's a chapter that begins with
dissension. And it's a chapter that ends
with dissension. You remember at the beginning
of the chapter, some wanted to add what Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
called a damnable plus to the gospel, circumcision. And so the chapter begins with
dissension, and then the chapter ends with dissension. Missionary
journey number two is about to begin, verse 36. And some days
after, Paul said unto Barnabas, let us go again and visit our
brethren in every city where we have preached the Word of
the Lord and see how they do. And Barnabas determined to take
with him John, whose surname was Mark. But Paul thought not
good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia,
and went not with them to the work. And the contention, and
that word contention is really strong. The contention was so
sharp between them that they departed asunder one from the
other. And so Barnabas took Mark and sailed on to Cyprus. And
Paul chose Silas and departed, being recommended by the brethren
unto the grace of God. And he went through Syria and
Cilicia, confirming the churches. The unthinkable has happened.
Paul and Barnabas have disagreed. You know, sometimes good Christians
intensely disagree. Sometimes men and women of God
intensely disagree. I'm sure that at that moment
there were No two unhappier brothers in the city of Antioch than Paul
and Barnabas. The Greek word translated, contention,
here is a very strong word. It indicates that this was not
a small agreement. Its thunder is reverberating
around the church. You say, what was the problem?
John Marr. John Marr. Barnabas wanted to
take his young relative with him, but Paul adamantly refused
to consider this option. The problem Paul saw with Mark
was this. He had failed the first time.
He would fail again. The ministry was too important.
The work was too demanding to enlist someone who might prove
unreliable. Look at verse 38. But Paul thought
not good to take him with them. who departed from them from Pamphylia
and went not with them to the work. Come over to chapter 13
for a moment. Do you see Mark leaving Paul
and Barnabas? Acts 13, verse 13, Now when Paul
and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia,
and John, John Mark, departing from them, returned to Jerusalem. Why did he leave them in Pamphylia?
Was it simply to do with the realities of missionary work,
its conflicts, its trials, its hardship? Was it because he was sick? Was it because he was homesick? Some scholars think it was because
he was mommy's boy. and that he had a pampered upbringing,
sheltered. He wasn't exposed to the hardships
in life. In East Belfast, they would say
he wasn't streetwise. And so, the problem Paul saw
was that Mark had given up the first time, he would give up
again. But Barnabas saw it differently. Come back to chapter 15 again. He saw it differently. It says
that Barnabas took Mark and sealed on to Cyprus. You can imagine
the sharp contention. Paul, he can. He will succeed with encouragement. We're not keeping Mark, Barnabas. He's a failure. He's a quitter.
But Paul, there's some good in that boy. Let's give him another
chance. Let's give him another opportunity.
You say, who was right? Well, in so many quarrels, both
men were right and both were wrong. Our judgment goes with Paul.
Our hearts go with Barnabas. Paul looked at Christians and
said, what can they do for God's work? Barnabas looked at Christians
and said, what can God's work do for them? We all know the
outcome. Paul and Silas go their way.
Barnabas and Mark go their way. But my friends, it's Barnabas
that takes the quitter. It's Barnabas that takes the
failure. It's Barnabas that takes the
coward. It's Barnabas that reaches down
and pulls John Mark up and puts his arm around him and says,
John Mark, you've got good stuff in you. You can do it. You know something? It was John
Mark who wrote the gospel of Mark. Probably the first gospel
that was written. It was John Mark who wrote the
gospel of Mark. It was this same man of whom
we read in 2 Timothy chapter 4 when Paul is in the Maritime
prison in Rome and he's about to be executed and he's talking
to Timothy and he says, Timothy, come before winter and when you
come, bring the books, bring the cloak, bring the parchments.
And you remember that he says to Timothy in that dark, dank,
dirty prison, only Luke is with me. Take Mark and bring him with
me, for he is profitable to me for the ministry. Think of it.
The one man in all the world that the Apostle Paul wanted
on the eve of his execution was Mark, John Mark. But aren't you glad that there
was someone who found a failure and fixed him and salvaged him? I'm here to tell you tonight
in the Christian church, there are the failures. Don't you look down your nose
at them. There are the Lots. There are the Samsons. There
are the John Marths. I wonder, are you big enough
to extend a hand of encouragement to them. What a man Barnabas was! A young
boy of five years of age lost his daddy. The same boy dropped
out of school when he was sixteen. He had lost two jobs when he
was seventeen. When he was eighteen, he got
married by nineteen. He had a baby by twenty. His
wife and him were separated. And from that time on, he tried
to make a living. He was in the army. He was on
the railroad. He was in farming. He was in
insurance. Finally, he became a dishwasher. There was nothing else that he
could do. He persuaded his wife to come back and live with him.
And together they ran a little cafe. They cooked and washed.
They cooked and washed. And when he came to 65 years
of age, he got his first Social Security check for 105 American
dollars. And on that day the check came
to him. He was so discouraged. He looked at it and it disheartened
him. He said, I've been a failure
all of my life. And now in the eventide of my
life, the government is going to have to take care of me. He
decided to commit suicide. He went out into the backyard
and he began to write out his will. And then he said, why should
I be such a failure? Isn't there anything that I can
do? Isn't there something that I can do better than others?
And then he said to himself, yes, there's one thing that I
can do better than others, and that's cook. And as he sat there
in the backyard, an idea began to formulate in his mind. He
went to the local bank and he borrowed $87 against his next
Social Security check. He went down to the supermarket
and he bought some chicken and he began to fry it in the only
way that he could fry it. And he went from door to door
in Kerbin, Kentucky, selling the chicken. Have you guessed
it? Colonel Harlan Sanders. Kentucky fried chicken, finger-licking
good, at 65 years of failure, ready to commit suicide, now
known the world over. And after some time, a little
boy came up to him one day and said to him, Sir, how much money
do you have? He said, Son, I don't know, but
I can tell you this, if I want it, I can have it. I'm not interested
in selling chicken tonight. The point is that this man was
not a failure when he decided he was not. I wonder tonight,
am I speaking to someone, have you decided that you're a failure?
What you probably need tonight is a Barnabas to tell you that
you're not. Thank God for Barnabas, a man
who found John Moore. A man that Paul did not want
anything to do with. And he said, come on, son, we
love you and the Lord. We are going to give you another
chance. Barnabas, the ministry of encouragement. He was truly a Christian gentleman. What made him so? Dr. Luke says he was a good man.
And he was full of the Holy Ghost and of faith. My friends, the
Barnabas fraternity is in desperate need of encouragement. Will you
join? Will you say, Lord, make me a
Barnabas? Help me to be an encourager. Let's pray.
Barnabus, The Ministry of Encouragement
Series The Church Ablaze
- A Sincere Man
- A Sympathetic Man
- A Spiritual Man
- A Sensible Man
- A Steadfast Man
| Sermon ID | 1280755150 |
| Duration | 52:35 |
| Date | |
| Category | Teaching |
| Bible Text | Acts 4; Acts 9; Acts 11; Acts 15 |
| Language | English |
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